All about cell phone security

Cell phones have become an important part in people’s lives. There’s no doubt that your lives move around this be it for personal use or business use. In fact, most people use their cell phones more than they use their personal computers. This clearly makes the data as well as the information stored in the cell phone more important than the laptop or PC. To make things easier and to secure your cell phone, here are some of the cell phone security tips you need to consider.

Tips to secure your cell phones

Find out IMEI number- each and every device has their IMEI number stored in the phone. All you need to do is find it out and save it elsewhere. This will help you track down your cell phone and block it, if it gets stolen.

Turn off the Bluetooth- most people have the habit of turning on the Bluetooth even when they aren’t using this. It poses a big threat to cell phone security. It is always important to turn off the Bluetooth when it is not in use.

Set passwords and pin- setting pins and passwords on your cell phone make it really impossible to use it when it gets stolen. You need to set up a pin on your cell phone and select lock automatically.

Backup and transfer important data- most people prefer to keep their cell phones secure due to the amount of information stored in it. Simply losing the password is a big problem. You can’t get the lost images, contact numbers and essential information. So, it is extremely necessary to have a back up of these data and transfer the important ones.

Be careful when downloading free apps- everyone loves using free apps that allow them to use it without paying. But, not all free apps are safe to use. There are several apps that steal personal data from your device after you download it. So, be careful what app you are downloading.

New threats to cell phones

Just like PC and laptops are affected by the virus and spyware, your cell phone too isn’t quite safe. There are several security threats to your cell phone. Here are some of the common types.

Application based threats

Downloading certain applications can cause damage of security. There are some malicious app that looks fine when you download, but are designed so that it can sacrifice your cell phone’s security. Malware, spyware, privacy threats and vulnerable applications are some of the common ones. Malware can send unsolicited messages, result in excess billing of your cell phone and more. Spyware, on the other hand, steals sensitive data from your cell phone such as browser history, contact details, phone’s location and more.

Web based threats

The next in list includes web based threats. Cell phones are always connected to the internet to access the web. This is when your device fall prey to these threats. Some of the common web based threats include phishing scams, browser exploits and drive by download. Drive by download downloads application automatically when you visit a web page. Phishing scams send you links to the websites that trick you in a way to provide details such as account numbers, passwords,etc.

If you want to stay up to date on all the threats that are out there as well as new ones, then you should definitely check out We Hate Malware, a tech blog focusing on spyware and malware detection and prevention.